Shi Yukun

b. 1943, Jiangsi

Xiqu (spoken-drama/opera) director

Shi Yukun is an accomplished director working primarily in Jingju (Peking opera), but also in several other regional Xiqu (sung-drama/opera) forms as well as television, completing over forty projects by the end of the twentieth century.

Shi began studying Jingju performance at age seven with his father, and entered the China Xiqu Academy (Zhongguo xiqu xuexiao) in 1960, training in the martial male (wusheng) Xiqu role type (see Xiqu role types). He has been with the Jiangsu Province Jingju Company (Jiangsusheng jingjuyuan) since 1960, as an actor until 1975 and as a director since then, entering the Shanghai Xiju Academy (Shanghai xiju xueyuan, a Huaju training institution) for directorial training in 1978. He has received numerous directing awards and is a’First Level’ director within China’s national artist ranking system. Among his most notable Jingju directing achievements are The Decorated Candles (Bao zhu ji), which received a ‘cultural award’ (wenhua jiang) from the Ministry of Culture in 1983; Mirror of Honour and Disgrace (Rong ru jian), which received numerous awards at the Jiangsu Province Festival of New Plays in 1986; and Luotuo Xiangzi, based on Lao She’s novel of the same name (usually translated as Rickshaw Boy or Camel Xiangzi)., which won the Gold Prize at the Second National Jingju Festival in December-January 1998–9 and was recognized as one of the three finest new Jingju plays at the Sixth China Art Festival in 2000. Luotuo was praised for the depth of character development achieved by the performers as well as for the innovative use of many Jingju conventions.

See also: Xiqu playwrights

MEGAN EVANS AND ELIZABETH WICHMANN-WALCZAK